Shattered Reflection
by BloodyCrystal
Summary: 150 word drabbles about any and all characters, even if they're dead. Reflections on life, love, death, and everything else. Rating for safety.
1. Clouds

**BloodyCrystal:** Yet another composition of drabbles. Why won't they leave me alone? Why? Ah well.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, or even anything Naruto-related (my sister owns the manga, though). I really wish I did, though.

Clouds

Normally, people say that lazy people are cowards. He wouldn't argue with that. After all, he was not only the laziest person he knew; he was also the number one coward. True, he understood strategy and mission objectives and saving lives over completing the mission, but he was also cowardly and lazy.

Shougi and Goh were fun, but he wasn't forced to play either. That was why they were enjoyable. If he chose to do something, then he did it. Looking at it that way, he realized that it simply meant that he only did what he wanted to and not what he was told to because he didn't like orders. Some called that insubordination.

At the moment, it just all seemed way too complicated. It didn't matter what it was called, if one really thought about it.

That was why he liked watching clouds; they were simple and unnameable.


	2. Strength

**BloodyCrystal:** Number two's up.

Strength

Everyone had kept on getting stronger. Well, maybe not everyone, but Sasuke and Naruto at the very least. Those two had gotten so much stronger in so little time, and all she could do was watch. The only people she could train with were gone or busy, preparing for the finals or, as in Ino's case, working or helping train others for the finals.

Yes, she had amazing chakra control for someone her age, but she was mediocre in all other aspects as Shikamaru had so _kindly_ pointed out. Well, she was good at bookwork and very intelligent, but that didn't really matter in the world of shinobi.

All she could do was work as hard as she could, train even harder, and continue on, one step at a time. If she couldn't even manage that, then she wasn't cut out to be a kunoichi.

She _had_ to get stronger.


	3. Avenger

**BloodyCrystal:** Number three! It starts off good, but I feel that the ending degenerated quite a bit. And I'm sorry if it gets hard to keep track of who's who since they're both male. I really tried.

Avenger

He had looked up to that man at one time. Had wanted to be just like him. His parents had constantly compared the two, and he had always come up short some quality that that man had. Strength, chakra, ability, dedication, intelligence, success, rank. That man had them all in abundance.

It rankled a bit, always being in _his_ shadow. Still, he had looked up to the man. The man _was_ his older brother. That was a strong tie, and that man had all but ripped it to pieces. He had been left alive as an avenger, and he would fulfill that role.

He would fulfill that last sane request of his brother and kill him, because that's what had been requested before his brother "disappeared" and the last trace of him died. He would live and get stronger and eventually kill that man. He had promised.

He would avenge.


	4. Hero

**BloodyCrystal:** Okay, so this one's a lot longer than usual, but only 'cause I couldn't fit what I wanted to say about him into 150 words. The quote at the end was written by someone else (I don't know who), so I don't own that, either.

Hero

A hero is known for his rise, his shining peak…and his inevitable fall from glory. But there is so much more than that to every hero who will be, has been, and is. And he was no exception.

His deeds and job overshadowed everything else about him. His wife was all but unknown, shunted into the shadows. Most even seemed to forget that he was married, and with a child coming soon. His wife had not been the least of her clan, but then she was far from being the greatest.

He loved the people of Konoha, every one of them, and that was why he was going to protect them, no matter what.

When he heard of the demon fox, he prepared his village for battle. And when his shinobi returned beaten, injured, dead, he recalled his promise to protect Konoha no matter what. He left his wife in a difficult labor, hoping, praying, she would understand why he did what he was going to do. He passed Kakashi, the only member of his team left alive from the war, and silently apologized for leaving the boy alone once again.

But he never looked back from his chosen fate. And when he died, he died smiling.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.


	5. Clean

**BloodyCrystal:** Here's the next one, and the following should be posted today as well since my sister's pretty good at inspiring me (aka, death threats). The other inspiration comes from…the most random things possible. Such as washing my hands three times in about two or less minutes.

* * *

Clean

* * *

The water gushed down, clear blue turning red as it went past his hands. He knew it annoyed his partner, but it was a habit he couldn't get rid of. He wasn't normally so fastidious about cleanliness, but he was fanatical about having clean hands. After every mission, he washed his hands as thoroughly as he knew how, because if he didn't, he'd go insane.

Clean hands were equated with being empty of sin. It was the same as having committed no crime. So he washed his hands, day in and day out, until they were clear from even the smallest speck of dirt and the tiniest drop of blood. He wasn't even this careful with his weapons. But this was important.

If his hands were clean, he had committed no crimes, done no wrong. That helped him keep his sanity after all he had done. Even killers have eyes.


	6. Flash

**BloodyCrystal:** Number six! Based off of a comment my sister made about a line said by the Third to this character during the Chuunin exams. So yes, this is technically an AU drabble because of an implied pairing/one-sided romance. And I'm sorry about the title; it's honestly not what you think.

* * *

Flash

* * *

If he were still alive, then everything would be okay. Orochimaru would be no problem and everything would be running smoothly. She longed to see him walk by, laughing, an arm around one of his students, his bright smile flashing across his face and glinting in the sunlight. He would take care of everyone, like he always had, and it would all be okay, nothing to worry about.

She knew she shouldn't think such things, that it helped no one, but he had been so important to her after what Orochimaru had done to her, and now he was dead. It had been so hard not to hate the Kyuubi brat for taking him away, when Konoha _needed_ him now, needed him like they never had before.

All she wanted was to see him one last time with that silly smile on his face, flashing at her in the sunlight.


	7. Pride

**BloodyCrystal:** Here's the next one, set after the Chuunin Exam third round prelims, but sometime before the finals.

* * *

Pride

* * *

She had beaten her opponent with expected ease, shooting the girl out of the air after batting her attacks away like the bugs they were. She had laughed about it, mocked her opponent in front of everyone else. And deep in her heart, another small rent had been torn, bringing a tang of salt to her eyes. She had ignored it, as always, until she was alone.

Then she had allowed the pain to well forth. It always hurt, crushing dreams that were similar to the ones she had once held. The little leaf wanted to be a strong kunoichi, a better dream than most female ninja that age. She had pride to spare, probably from training with her powerful teammates. But it hadn't been enough.

The little leaf would come back stronger, maybe as an equal—or maybe the weapons-user would win the next fight.

Pride would bring the fight.


	8. Fate

**BloodyCrystal:** Next up, another guy. Set sometime before the Chuunin Exam Finals.

* * *

Fate

* * *

He threw the word around, but it was never casual. His use of it to explain everything seemed cavalier and uncaring, but he had put a lot of thought into his seemingly-arbitrary belief in Fate.

Simply put, his father had not chosen to die for Hyuuga-sama nor had he chosen to be born second and become Branch. Hyuuga-sama had not chosen to have his oldest daughter be a talent-less failure, nor had he chosen to have the most talented Hyuuga prodigy be the Branch son of his younger twin brother. Something else must have decided this, and that something was Fate.

After realizing that, he had quickly discovered Fate everywhere in everything. It wasn't hard, not once he'd started. It had come easier and easier as time went on rather than becoming harder to find in things.

He had learned quickly: Fate was responsible for everything.


	9. Control

**BloodyCrystal:** The next one up! This one is sometime during or after the time-skip.

* * *

Control

* * *

He twitched his fingers; his puppet(s) twitched their fingers. He stepped forward; so did they. They followed his every movement, showing off his perfect control of them. He smirked at his opponents, silently daring them to _try_ attacking _him_. They lunged at him, taking the bait.

It was hard not to laugh at the fools as Karasu closed in on them, killing them with ease. He watched the blood seep down Kuroari's sides. As usual in these border rumbles, he had won.

Not that he didn't mind the chance to flex his puppets, of course. He loved giving them a good workout, true, but he also liked showing off his talent. He had near-perfect control and well-built puppets, and there was nothing wrong with being proud of that. Talent was prized in Suna, alongside pride (or arrogance), and had both in spades.

It was all about control.


End file.
